The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Business School has improved its score in each of the three editions of the PIR.

Participation in the PIR contributed to receiving funding from the government’s Theme-based Research Scheme for a Green Finance Research Project in 2021. This project will expand academic knowledge of sustainability and green finance. At the same time, the cross-disciplinary nature of the study will also yield benefits to policymakers, academia, industries, and professionals in their studies and decision-making.
HKUST Business School launched the city’s first BSc in Sustainable and Green Finance (SGFN) Program, reacting to the critical future role of the discipline. The Program gathers an interdisciplinary team of academic specialists in finance and investment, environmental science, and technology to equip students with professional knowledge and a global outlook. Designed to nurture leaders in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and related fields, the Program covers environment science, sustainability and green finance, risk management, and public policy.

Students and faculty are an integral part of HKUST’s sustainability journey. The university offers different funding and programs to encourage them to develop innovative ideas to address real-life problems. Many have succeeded in developing practical solutions to various local and global issues.

Solutions include mobile apps that help users analyze and manage personal air pollution health risks. Students have also developed algorithms that analyze and predict the risks of climate change on corporations and propose sustainable business models. Innovations for upcycling bread waste into craft beer and award-winning vegan, biodegradable and edible cutlery have come from students.

HKUST has made great strides in embedding positive impact and sustainable culture into its curriculum and operations. It set ambitious energy reduction targets to meet the goal of becoming a net-zero carbon campus before 2050 and is building 8000 solar panels for Hong Kong’s most extensive solar power system on campus. The University has also been working closely with governments to tackle the local and regional air pollution problems and pursue other sustainable development goals.